All, Everything, and Everyone
To talk about entire groups, everything, or everyone at once, Swedish uses all, allt, and alla. The form depends on the gender and number of the noun you are describing.
| Form | Used with | Meaning before a noun | Meaning on its own |
|---|---|---|---|
| all | en words (singular) | all / all the | - |
| allt | ett words (singular) | all / all the | everything |
| alla | Plural words | all / all the | everyone / everybody |
Singular en words: all
When describing an uncountable en word, use all. Notice that Swedish often pairs all directly with the indefinite form of the noun, even when English says "all the".
| The guide showed all the art. | Guiden visade all konst. |
| He read all the information about the building. | Han läste all information om byggnaden. |
"Everyone" and Plurals: alla
Used without a noun, alla means "everyone" or "everybody."
| Everyone loved the museum. | Alla älskade museet. |
| Everyone in the group understands the information. | Alla i gruppen förstår informationen. |
When describing plural nouns, use alla regardless of the word's gender. It can be paired with either the indefinite or definite form of the plural noun.
| The visitor looked at all the halls. | Besökaren tittade på alla salar. |
| All the visitors waited in the large hall. | Alla besökarna väntade i den stora salen. |
"Everything": allt
Used on its own, allt translates directly to "everything."
| The group wants to see everything in the museum. | Gruppen vill se allt i museet. |
| Did they understand everything? | Förstod de allt? |
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